Quick help for job-seekers

Sunday

Jul 7, 2013 at 6:00 AMJul 20, 2013 at 8:24 AM

By Joyce Lain Kennedy, CAREERS NOW

Q: I graduated with an associate degree in accounting from a community college this year and want to find a good job. I am not a 20-something but in my early 40s. I attach my résumé hoping you will find the time to improve it. — E.M.

A: Résumé reviewing is not a service I offer. What I'm happy to do is share a savvy new miniguide from CareerCast, "Five Tips for a Great Entry-Level Resume," by Martin Yate, author of the best-selling "Knock 'em Dead" books. Here's a capsule of Yate's excellent advice:

Use your email address as a marketing tool. Create an address that speaks to your professional identity and expertise, such as "SystemAnalyst@hotmail.com."

Place a target job title at the top of your résumé to boost visibility. Insert the title of the job you seek immediately after your contact information, such as "Web Designer."

Replace "Career Objective" with "Performance Summary." List the skills you have as they relate to the employer's needs. If you lack relevant work experience, take the same top requirements for the job provided by the employer and write between three and six lines that speak of your desire for the opportunity to do this work and how your education has prepared you to do it.

Make the best use of valuable resume real estate. Words at the top of a résumé have more importance than words at the end. A top-of-page professional skills section makes your most critical information more accessible to the overworked and distracted recruiter. And careful keyword repetition also improves visibility. (Keywords are typically nouns that describe skills, but can include well-known company names and verbs.)

Identify all professional experience. Paid jobs, internships and volunteer work qualify as relevant work experience for an entry-level professional. Do include company names and employment dates for each job you've held. Whenever relevant, repeat keywords from your professional skills section throughout the body of your résumé within the context of each job where they apply.

To read Yate's full report, search for "Five Tips for a Great Entry-Level Resume" on CareerCast.com.

Q: After looking and not finding a good job for two months, I attended a job club meeting last night and was advised to network with contacts from my earlier jobs. OK, good idea. But here's the trouble: I haven't maintained contact with any of them. — D.A.

A: John Lucht, CEO of RiteSite.com, a top-notch and modestly priced career site for professionals and executives, offers a true story about one of its members who recently faced your problem. The member had not contacted a former boss for 16 years! Not even a holiday card.

"Only now that I'm out of work did I even think of giving him a call," the member wailed. "How does that look? I am almost ashamed to call. I considered it hopelessly tacky to come roaring out of the distant pass only because I wanted something."

Somehow, the RiteSite member found the courage to call and arranged a breakfast meeting with the former boss, now the CEO of a famous company. The outcome: Mr. Big recruited the member to work for the powerhouse company.

Lucht's networking advice to job seekers who find themselves in longtime, no-see situations: "You may be more fondly remembered than you realize. Further, you have nothing to lose.What if the former boss had totally forgotten the job seeker? Or was offended by the silent years? What physical or psychic scars would the job seeker endure for the rest of his life? Or even for the next five minutes?"

Waste no more time contacting former workplace connections. Don't immediately ask for help finding a job. Explain that you plan to be in the neighborhood soon and perhaps the two of you could have coffee or lunch. If you're remembered fondly, the opportunity to discuss networking with your resurrected contacts will present itself naturally.

Email career questions for possible use in this column to Joyce Lain Kennedy at jlk@sunfeatures.com; use "Reader Question" for subject line. Or mail her at Box 368, Cardiff, CA 92007.